Stats - Notes


TUCSON, Ariz. – Oregon State radio personality Jim Wilson announced to “Beaver Nation,” in his pregame prediction, that placekicker Justin Kahut would kick the game-winning field goal. His cohort, Ron Callan, said that receiver Sammie Stroughter would be the difference. They were both right.

Kahut made a 24-yard field goal as time expired and Oregon State had an improbable 19-17 victory over the Arizona Wildcats to keep its dream of winning the Pacific-10 Conference title alive. Kahut’s heroics came after his own failure. 

The Beavers trailed 17-10 after Wildcats’ running back Keola Antolin scored a 9-yard run with 8:26 left.  It took an 80-yard drive for the Beavers to even the score, in theory. Playing without starting quarterback Lyle Moevao (out for the game) and freshman sensation running back Jacquizz Rodgers (hurt earlier), backup QB Sean Canfield engineered a 10-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with a 7-yad pass to Stroughter – and to the tie the game – almost. But, Kahut missed the ensuing extra point attempt to leave the score 17-16 with just 3:53 left. 

OSU’s defense stiffened on the next Arizona drive, but the Wildcats did manage a first down, forcing the Beavers to use all three of their timeouts. The Wildcats were also able to eat 2:34 off the clock. Enter Canfield and the rest of the offense. The lefty made back-to-back passes to third-string running back Jeremy Francis, accounting for 25 yards.  With 39 seconds left, Stroughter snuck behind the Wildcats’ secondary and Canfield found him for 47 yards. The play left the Beavers at the Arizona 7-yard line. OSU head coach Mike Riley decided to run the clock out and let Kahut redeem himself.

“We run the two-minute drill everyday in practice, so it was a routine thing for us,” Canfield said. “Everybody stayed poised. We didn’t stop fighting to the end. When Justin missed that PAT, we didn’t blink. We got back and he did his thing to win the game for us.”

With the exception of the missed extra point, Kahut had a good game.  On the final play of the first half he made a career-long 47-yard field goal to even the score at 3. 

The game proved costly, though, as the Pac-10’s leading rusher, Jacquizz Rodgers, suffered a strained shoulder early in the first quarter when he was hit by cornerback Devin Ross on a pass reception. The injury forced him to miss the final regular season game of the year.

The win set up one of the biggest Civil Wars in the 112-history of the game. A victory over its rivals and Oregon State would make its first Rose Bowl appearance since Jan. 1, 1965.